Trick or Treat
by Lopithecus
Summary: It's Ko's first time going trick or treating. However, it doesn't go exactly as planned thanks to Bruce the Brood Master. [Part 8 of Sparks Series]


**Trick or Treat**

 **A/N: This is part 8 of the Sparks Series. You don't necessarily have to read the other installments but** _ **Mishaps in Raising a Baby**_ **is referenced so I suggest you at least read that one (or even to just refresh your memory as to what happened in that fic because it's been OVER A YEAR since I've added anything to this series! I'm soooooooo sorry!)**

 **Also, this was started out as a happy fic but… it… uh… didn't stay that way (is that really a surprise?)… sorry… *Goes and hides behind a table***

 **In my defense, the prompt actually doesn't say whether or not it has to be a happy fic or not. So… *continues to hide***

 **Prompt:** **imagine your otp dressing/buying their baby's first halloween costume**

 **Ko's Age: 1 year old**

 **Tim's Age: 14 years old**

 **Jason's Age: 20 years old**

 **Dick's Age: 22 years old**

 **Clark's Age: 35 years old**

 **Bruce's Age: 36 years old**

Bruce and Clark wander the store looking for the Halloween aisle. Ko is in the baby carrier that is attached to the cart and Tim is bounding in front of them in excitement. "I can't wait to go trick or treating!"

Clark laughs. "You make it sound like this is your first year going. You went last year, didn't you?"

Tim shrugs as he rounds a corner, coming to a full stop at the sight of all the costumes hanging up. "Yeah, but this is the only time of year Bruce and Alfred let's me eat a bunch of candy."

Bruce rolls his eyes and picks up Ko from the carrier, seeing him get a bit restless. He balances the baby on one of his hips, watching Tim go from one costume to the next. "Aren't you a little old to be going trick or treating? Besides, you dress up in a costume every night."

Tim mocks a gasp. "Costume!" The young boy places a hand over his heart. "That is my battle armor, not my _costume_." He picks up a poorly made Robin costume off the shelf and scowls, saying more to himself than anyone else, "definitely not a costume." Tim then turns to Bruce with a wide smile, placing the Robin outfit back in its place. "And you are never too old to go trick or treating, Bruce." Bruce grumbles as he bounces Ko slightly.

Clark approaches him, carrying a costume that looks suspiciously like a Batman costume except much too small to even fit a young child. "What is that?"

"A costume for Ko." Clark holds it out for Bruce to inspect.

He immediately shakes his head. "No."

Clark frowns. "Why not?" Then a teasing smile. "Would you rather him wear a Robin outfit?"

Once again, Bruce rolls his eyes. "Why can't he dress up as you?" Before Clark can respond, Bruce silences him. "Ko is not dressing up as any of us," he whispers as another couple walks into the aisle with their daughter.

"Bruce," Clark leans in closer, "no one is going to know you and I are Batman and Superman just because we dressed our baby up as one of us. Have you seen how poorly made these things are?"

"That's not the point." Bruce steps back from Clark, switching Ko to his other hip. "Why do we have to dress him up, anyway? He's a baby. He's not going to be eating any candy let alone going up to people's houses and saying trick or treat."

Ko reaches up towards Bruce with a little squeal. "Tri. Tri."

Bruce glares at the young baby. "Don't think you can manipulate me like that."

Clark chuckles, taking a hold of Ko in order to hold him. "He's been learning from the number one manipulator himself. Good job on teaching him that, Bruce," Clark says teasingly.

"It'll come in handy in the future." Bruce briefly glances at a costume that is made for babies.

Clark is smiling at him, amusement written all over his face. "Not if it works on us."

Bruce quickly sets down the costume he was just eyeing. "I was just looking out of curiosity."

"Uh huh," Clark says with a chuckle.

"Found it!" Tim yells out, receiving odd looks from the couple. "I want to be this!" Tim jogs up to them, holding out his chosen costume, giggling as Bruce peers at it.

It's a clown costume.

"No," Bruce says, not amused at all.

Tim can hardly hold back his laughter, hand cupped over his mouth. "Why not?"

"You know perfectly well, why not. Put it back." He shoos the cackling fourteen year old away, glaring all the while.

They continue to spend another ten minutes in the Halloween aisle with Clark looking for a costume for Ko, Tim looking for himself, and Bruce holding Ko once again and grumbling to himself about how long it's taking. Ko is getting more and more restless and Bruce is starting to worry the child might use his powers. If that happens, all hell will break loose. Bruce wouldn't be able to control the baby and Clark would have to deal with it, but depending on what Ko does, will determine if Clark will have to use his powers and if Clark has to use his powers as Clark Kent…

Bruce takes a deep breath and tries to calm down, placing Ko back into the carrier. He kisses his son on the forehead, rubbing the small boy's hair. "We'll be leaving soon. Just hang in there a little longer." He stands up straight and is just about to tell Tim to quicken up the process, when Tim comes over to him.

"Got it." Tim holds up his costume.

"A farmer?" Bruce asks incredulously.

"Yeah!"

"Why?"

Clark approaches. "Actually, you know what? That gives me a perfect idea as to what Ko can be." Bruce and Tim watch as Clark walks away and then comes back with a costume. The Kryptonian turns it around so they can see the picture.

"A cow?" Bruce asks.

"And you know what?" Clark is smiling at him with this wide grin that makes Bruce uneasy and Bruce is just now noticing Clark is holding something behind his back. "The rest of us are also going to be wearing these."

Bruce doesn't even have time to protest before Clark is whisking them out of the aisle to cash out.

...

Bruce will not complain. Bruce will not complain. Bruce will not- "This is fucking ridiculous!"

Clark is snorting as he places the straw hat on top of Bruce's head. Clark is dressed in a similar way as Bruce. In fact, everyone except Ko is dressed just like Bruce. Dick is doubled over laughing at Bruce's expense, hat falling to the floor, Jason protested at first until he found out Bruce was going to be a farmer as well and then put on the outfit hastily, amusement coloring his features, and Tim is overjoyed with excitement.

Clark straightens Bruce's hat out and then picks up Ko who is dressed in his cow costume. "There, now we are all the farmers to our little cow." He tickles Ko's belly and the baby laughs.

"I feel stupid," Bruce says.

Jason comes up to him and pats him on the back. "Sometimes you have to be stupid for your kids, Old Man." The young man looks Bruce up and down and starts chuckling. "But you look foolish." Jason stumbles over to where Dick is still asphyxiating on his own laughter, doubling over as well.

"Can I just stay home?" Bruce questions to no one in particular.

Clark shakes his head. "Nope. You have to come."

Bruce crosses his arms in a huff. "Okay, fine, but does it have to be in Gotham? Gotham is dangerous on Halloween. In fact," Bruce takes the hat off, "I should be out there as Batman right now."

"Bruce," Clark sets the hat back onto Bruce's head. "If there is anything happening in Gotham, I will let you know. I'll keep an ear out." The Kryptonian is frowning and Bruce tries to not let it pull at his heart strings. "Please, just try to have fun. For Ko's sake. This is his first Halloween going out. Don't you want him to have at least a fairly normal childhood."

Bruce eyes Ko, his worry and fear rising in his chest. Bruce's eyes travel back to Clark's. "There is no normal for him." Bruce walks away, ignoring Clark's sigh. "Let's get this over with."

Alfred ends up driving them down to one of the few nice neighborhoods Gotham has and parking on the side of the road. They all get out, Dick carrying Ko in his arms as the little boy looks around in amazement. "I hope he doesn't get scared by all the costumes," Clark says to him as he gets out of the limo.

"I hope he doesn't get confused and think they're bad guys," Bruce comments, earning himself an annoyed look from Clark.

Dick, Jason, and Tim are already off to the first house that has its light on, Ko still squealing in Dick's arms. Clark and Bruce follow more slowly, Clark keeping a comforting hand on the small of his back. It doesn't help though. By the time they reach the fifth house, Ko being handed off to Jason, Bruce is a ball of nerves.

Clark leans into his ear to whisper. "You need to calm down. You're getting weird looks."

"I'm getting weird looks because I'm Bruce Wayne." Bruce pulls away from Clark in agitation. "And tell me to calm down when our son no longer kills people." He crosses his arms and watches his kids with their huge smiles plastered to their faces. Ko is smiling as well, gurgling and laughing every time someone coos over his costume.

Clark approaches him again with a soft look. "That was a couple months ago, Bruce. Nothing has happened since then. In fact, Ko has been doing really well with controlling his powers."

He scrutinizes Ko, making sure to not take his eyes off the baby. "Tell that to the guys he killed by melting their skin off."

"Bruce, he was trying to protect you. We've been over this a million times." Clark grabs his hands, tries to get his attention, but Bruce refuses to look away from Ko. "It was all in self defense."

"Have you seen me kill in self defense?" Bruce finally briefly peers at Clark, making sure to say his next statement with an edge to it, to bring it home. "Or you?" He goes back to watching Ko.

"You need to give him time to learn to not do that. Bruce," Clark takes Bruce's chin in hand and turns his head to face him. "Lord Superman _couldn't_ have influenced him. He was just a baby. He can't remember what happened."

"And what about you?" Bruce focuses on Clark now, desperate to get his point across. He doesn't understand why he's the only one worrying about this stuff. "What's your earliest memory?"

"Not of Krypton."

Bruce gives him a disbelieving look. "Clark, you have an eidetic memory and you're telling me you can't remember Krypton? Not a even a little?"

Clark rolls his eyes. "Bruce, the only reason why I have an eidetic memory is because of the yellow sun's radiation. My earliest memory is of when I was, I don't know, four or five? _After_ I had absorbed enough radiation from the sun. My memory is not like yours in which it's genetic." Clark huffs. "And even with your photographic memory, you don't remember things from when you were a baby."

"No, I don't." He steps closer, letting his voice lower more. "But you have to remember, Clark, that Ko was born under a yellow sun. He had all that time in the _whom_ to absorb that radiation." Bruce narrows his eyes, irritated and angry. "Now tell me how well his memory probably is." He pokes a finger into Clark's chest. "Especially with how quickly he learns. So tell me again how Lord Superman couldn't have influenced him."

He takes a step back and turns away, making his way to his sons. They are in the middle of picking out candy for themselves when Bruce grabs Ko out of Tim's arms. "Bruce, what are you doing?" Dick asks as Clark strides up behind him.

Bruce holds Ko close to his chest, wishing to protect the baby from the world, from the bad, from the baby himself. "Finish up here, then we're going home."

The three boys look at him, puzzled, as he walks away with Ko. Ko looks over Bruce's shoulder, reaching out for one of the boys but Bruce ignores it and Clark's comment about "handling it."

"Bruce!" Clark jogs up to him from behind, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder.

Bruce whirls away, flinching violently, and almost tripping to the ground. "Don't touch me!" Eyes belonging to strangers turn to him, parents grabbing a hold of their children as they sense a couple quarrel about to happen.

Clark is holding up his hands in a placating manner, eyeing Bruce in concerned confusion. Bruce's breathing is accelerated and Ko snuggles into his chest, as if sensing how distressed he is currently. "Okay," Clark says gently. "Okay."

Bruce tries to breathe through his nose and wills his muscles to relax. He continues his journey back to the limo where Alfred is waiting inside, reading the newspaper. He climbs in. "Alfred, can you please make sure the boys hurry up."

Alfred looks at him in the rearview mirror. "Very well, Sir." The older man then gets out just as Clark slides in beside Bruce.

Clark doesn't say anything, not for a few seconds, before, "Are you scared of me?"

Bruce rolls his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I'm not. It wasn't the first time we went up against an evil version of you."

Clark is still looking at him oddly. "Then why did you react that way?"

Bruce doesn't want to answer him. He doesn't want to make himself vulnerable, not right now, not when they aren't home. But Clark is his husband and he has to be honest with him, has to get the Kryptonian to see his point of view. "Those men that abducted me and Ko, came from behind."

Clark still seems confused. "But people attack you from behind all the time. You've never acted like that before."

"Yeah, well that time involved our child." Bruce squeezes Ko closer and the baby rests his head on Bruce's shoulder. "And I had to watch those men _shoot_ at a baby. I had to _watch_ , Clark, as our child murdered four people and I couldn't do anything about it. You only saw the aftermath, you weren't there, so you have no right to tell me to not be worried about the influence Lord Superman might have had on him."

Clark is quiet again, staring, as if he's looking into the depths of Bruce's soul. "So you don't trust him."

It's not a question but a statement. Bruce answers anyway. "No, I don't."

Suddenly, the next thing Bruce knows, he's on the ground outside, on top of the limo door, with the wind knocked out of him and pain in his side. "Bruce!" Clark hurries over to him, eyes wide as Bruce coughs to try to get his breath back. "Are you okay?"

Bruce can hear the whispers of confused and worried bystanders around them. "M'fine."

Clark looks at all the people gathering. "It's okay. Just a malfunction in the electric seat. We really need to get that looked at, Bruce."

Bruce painfully sits up. "No kidding." He places a hand on his side, feeling how painful it is to breathe. He must have a few broken ribs now. Bruce raises his eyes to the limo where Ko is sitting, staring at him. The baby's face is bordering on curious but is mostly blank. Bruce had at least expected the baby to be crying like he usually does when he uses his powers.

When the crowd starts to dissipate, Clark grabs him to help him up. "Are you okay?" he asks again.

Bruce shrugs his hand off and gets up off the ground himself. He glares at Clark, whispering, "Yeah, we can definitely trust him." Ignoring Clark's guilty expression, Bruce goes back to the limo and sits down on the opposite side of Ko.

...

Clark enters the bedroom hesitantly. "Ko's asleep." He approaches the bed and sits down where Bruce is trying to gingerly take his costume off. There's too many layers. "Are you sure you don't want to say goodnight to him?"

Bruce lifts the shirt, exposing a large black and blue on his left side, where his lung is. He hisses in pain. "Does this look like I want to say goodnight to him?"

"Well, it was kind of your own fault."

Bruce gives him a deadly glare. "Do you want to sleep in a different room tonight?"

Clark gives him a wary shrug. "It's true. You said right in front of him that you don't trust him."

"And he proved my point." Bruce slides into the bed carefully, breathing in slowly.

Clark lies down next to him, pulling the covers up over them. "We'll figure it out, okay? We always do."

Bruce doesn't respond to this. He just lets Clark wrap his arms lightly around him, scooting up against his back and burying his face in Bruce's hair. It's not long before Bruce hears the deep breaths of sleep coming from the Kryptonian.

Bruce, however, doesn't sleep that night. Instead, he watches the screen on the baby monitor.


End file.
